Formed at RNAS Lee-on-Solent on 10 Feb 1943, it departed almost immediately for Canada as a training unit, which was redisgnated 754 Squadron in June 1944. In Mar 1944, meanwhile, another 744 Squadron had formed at Maydown as a Merchant Aircraft Carrier training unit, to feed crews to 836 Squadron. The Squadron took on more Anti-Submarine training until it moved solely for this purpose to RNAS Eglinton in Oct 1945. It transformed into the front line
815 Squadron on 1 Dec 1947. It reformed from a flight of
737 Squadron again at Eglinton, as a fixed wing development and trials unit in Jul 1951. From Dec 1952 it gained Dragonfly HR.3s for Search and Rescue until the unit disbanded on 1 Mar 1954 and the Dragonfly left. It reformed at
RNAS Culdrose on the same day as a fixed wing anti-submarine development unit and moved in Oct 1954 to
RAF St.Mawgan, where it disbanded on 31 Oct 1956.
744 Naval Air Squadron recommissioned in a ceremony at Boscombe Down on 24 Oct 2018, by renaming the jointly staffed Mission Systems and Armament Test and Evaluation Sqn (MS & Arm TES). Its role is to bring the Merlin Crowsnest into Fleet Air Arm service.